A Day In The Life Of
by ConstantXIII
Summary: Here I will attempt to write about a day in each character's life, hopefully adding some insights into the characters as well. Each chapter is a one-shot story about a day in the life of one character. Each chapter covers a new character. Feel free to leave suggestions for your favorite character!
1. Greg Universe

_**A Day in the Life of…**_

**Greg Universe:**

_A nervous Greg Universe stood outside of the Crystal Temple. It was bright and sunny outside; birds chirped and clouds passed slowly overhead, but Greg didn't notice any of it as the Crystal Gems stepped outside of the temple. They looked exhausted and their faces were wet with tears. Swaddled in a blanket in Pearl's arms was a newborn, a tiny, screaming thing that was glowing pink. No one said anything except for tiny little Steven who was still crying. A moment passed and everyone looked at the newborn, trying their hardest to not acknowledge the travesty that had occurred. Tears filled Greg's eyes as he finally asked, "W-Where's Rose?" Amethyst looked down and silently burst into fresh tears. Pearl, with a poorly concealed sob, occupied herself with the baby. Garnet laid a hand on Greg's shoulder, "I'm sorry," she said softly "we couldn't save her."  
He felt a crushing pressure in his chest and the world twisted into black._

Greg opened his eyes and took a shuddering breath. He wiped away the tears he had shed during the night. The radio murmured morning pleasantries into the dark interior of the van, oddly disproportionate to Greg's nightmare which was a reoccurring one. He stared blankly at the black roof of the van with a quivering lip. A long moment passed until he was able to pull himself together. With a deep sigh Greg threw off his blanket and climbed out of his van into the sunlight. He stretched and scratched his belly as he looked around; making sure no one had moved his van during the night again. Greg was, thankfully, still just outside of town where he had parked. He reached back into the van and pulled out a shirt with no visible stains along with a newly acquired camping tent. Greg slipped on the shirt with only a little bit of difficulty and slammed the van doors shut. He had parked just off the road and in the woods. It was all quiet and not a soul was on the road. A doe with its fawn following close behind it crossed the road. It saw Greg and scampered off after a brief moment. Greg thought about his plans for today and grinned to himself as he walked down the road. A smiling Greg made his way into town. "Good morning, Sadie!" he called out cheerfully. Sadie was unlocking the doors to the donut shop.

"Morning, Greg! Hope it wasn't too cold out tonight!"

"Not at all! Save a doughnut for me, Sadie." Sadie smiled and waved at Greg as he made his way to the beach. Greg turned a corner and almost ran right into Jamie, the post man. "Whoa there, Jamie! Running late again?" Jamie stopped to pick up his bag which he had dropped in the near-collision.

"Late? Never." Jamie grinned and tipped his hat, "Have a good one Mr. Universe."

"You too." Greg reached the beach and lost a flip-flop to the unexpectedly deep sand. He spent a few seconds futilely digging around in the sand with his foot. "Gosh where'd you go buddy?" Greg set down his tent and dug around in the sand for his lost flip-flop. Beside the small hole he had dug the sand shifted around. "Aha!" Greg stuck his hand in the sand and jerked it back with a yelp. An angry sounding crystal shrimp erupted from the dirt with a flip-flop in its mouth. It hissed at Greg and scampered away leaving the disgruntled man sitting on the ground minus one flip-flop. He stood up and grabbed his tent cautiously. "Geez, hope that wasn't a magic thing," muttered Greg, worriedly patting what was left of his hair. Greg made his way to the cliff side where the Gems lived with Steven, looking all around the beach to make sure another one of those things didn't steal his last flip-flop.

He reached the bottom of the wooden stairs and music drifted down to him. Greg smiled wistfully as he heard Steven sing and play his ukulele. He remembered when he had taught his son how to play. Steven reminded him so much of himself when he had been young. You know, minus the whole glowing-gem-in-the-navel thing. A crab scuttled across Greg's field of vision and he jumped. He fumbled with the tent and dropped it. Greg flinched as he heard it hit the ground hard. He picked it up and peered into the pack it was in. "Eh, I'm sure it'll be okay." Greg walked up the stairs as the music ended. Steven was sitting on the couch with Garnet standing behind him, clapping; Pearl perched on the arm of the couch and smiled sweetly at Steven's music; and Amethyst laughing, sitting beside Steven. The door was open. Greg dropped the tent again and clapped loudly for Steven. Everyone looked at Greg, startled at his sudden appearance. "You're getting better!" he commented proudly.

"Hello, Greg." Chorused the Gems in unison.

"Dad!" Steven left his ukulele on the couch and ran into his father's waiting arms.

"Hey there, Steven!" Greg picked up his son in a massive hug and set him down again. Steven's eyes widened as he saw the tent,

"Is that..?" Greg smiled widely.

"It sure is!" Steven jumped up and down excitedly

"I can't believe you finally got it!" he exclaimed. Pearl and Amethyst peeked around Greg and looked at the tent, brand new and still in its package.

"Is that a tent?" asked Amethyst.

"Yes. It looks awfully expensive too," Pearl commented, slightly disapprovingly.

"It was worth every cent!" smiled Greg, who was watching his son bounce around excitedly.

"Can we go camping today Dad, can we pleeeeaaase?"

"As long as you don't have any plans with the Gems this weekend." Steven left Greg outside with Amethyst and Pearl to go ask Garnet if he could go. Greg shifted uncomfortably. He always felt so shameful when he came here to visit Steven. What kind of father couldn't take care of his own son? He was thankful for the Gems' care of Steven, he really was, but sometimes he couldn't help but feel a bit resentful of their situation. Pearl looked around awkwardly. She was sympathetic to Greg's feelings toward them and hoped he had a nice weekend with his son for once. Amethyst, oblivious to all this, looked Greg up and down.

"Um. Where's your other shoe Greg?"

"What?" Greg looked down and remembered his encounter with the thing at the beach. "Oh. Some sort of really weird bug with a gem or something ran off with it."

"WHAT?!" Peal gasped, "WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION THAT EARLIER?" Greg rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously.

"I figured you guys already knew about it so I didn't say anything!" Amethyst leaned over the balcony and squinted at the beach suspiciously.

"I don't see anything, Pearl." Pearl joined Amethyst by the railing and began scanning the beachside. She shook her head with a sigh

"Me neither. We're going to have to take a closer look later." Steven burst through the door with his cheeseburger backpack on and his ukulele hanging from a strap.

"Garnet said I could go!" Pearl patted Steven on the head as she headed in.

"That's great, have fun you guys!" Amethyst followed Peal inside.

"Try not to get eaten by a bear!" She laughed and closed the door behind her.

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Yeah Dad, let's go!" Steven ran down the stairs and onto the beach. Greg hefted the tent on his shoulder and followed him down. Steven was already far ahead.

"Be careful!" Greg called after him. He kept a sharp eye out for any more of those crystal shrimp things and his missing flip-flop. Steven waited for his dad at the road's edge.

"Come on dad!" Greg caught up to Steven and crossed the road with him. They walked by the donut shop and Lars, who was sweeping up, rolled his eyes when he saw them. "Hey Dad, can we go get some donuts?" Greg reached into his pocket and turned red from embarrassment. There was nothing in them; he had spent his last cent on the tent so he could have a nice weekend with Steven.

"Um… well," Greg began, but Steven interrupted him.

"Please? Look," Steven dug around in his pockets and pulled out a small wad of cash, "Garnet even gave me some money for it!" Steven looked up at Greg hopefully. Greg smiled uneasily.

"Well I guess if Garnet gave you the money then…" Steven cheered and ran into the shop. Greg followed him in after a pause. Steven bought the donuts while Greg stood uncertainly by the door.

"Come on, let's eat outside." Steven set their stuff down on a clean, white table outside the shop and began eating. "Are you going to bring your guitar, Dad?" Steven asked eagerly. He had been hoping for this camping trip for a long time and had it all planned out. First they would go swimming, next they would start the fire and eat dinner, and then they would play music until they fell asleep by the fire.

"If you want me to, kiddo."

"Yeah! We can play together!" Steven finished his donut happily. Greg and Steven made their way down the road to the van. On the trip to Greg's van Steven regaled his father with stories of his adventures with the Crystal Gems. "And so then the whole spire was like WHOOSH! And it sank under the ocean!" Steven sounded disappointed. "And I still have the little statue."

"Well, if every pork chop were perfect…" Greg trailed off.

"Yeah," Steven reflected, "The Gems kinda said the too."

"They did?"

"Well, they didn't actually say it, but none of them were mad and they just told me the rest of my ideas were really good. Then Amethyst took me out for ice cream!"

"That's great!" Greg was glad to hear about their supportive nature. As much as he didn't like not having Steven, he would never have to worry about Steven being raised wrong. "Come on, I parked the van somewhere out here." Greg and Steven left the road and walked into the forest. "Whoever finds the van first gets an extra hotdog for dinner tonight!" Greg laughed as Steven burst into a sprint.

"That extra hotdog is mine!" Steven yelled as he ran deeper into the woods.

"Not if I find it fi-irst!" Greg sang. There was a loud, metallic thump followed by Steven's muffled voice.

"Found it!" Greg found Steven clinging to the back door of the van. "Hah! I get the extra hotdog tonight!" Greg approached the van looking skeptical.  
"Hmm… I'm not sure this is MY van."

Steven laughed. "What? Of course this is your van!"

"I duuunnnooo…." Greg stroked his beard.

Steven let go of the van and leaned heavily on Greg, "Daaaaad!" he giggled.

"You know, I think you might be right. This IS my van!" Greg and Steven laughed.

"You're such a doofus Dad!" Steven hopped into the front seat and put his seat belt excitedly. Greg hesitated and was transported to the last time he had been called a doofus.

_"Let me drive my van in to-o yoouur heart," Greg strummed the last note and looked nervously at Rose Quartz. His heart was pounding and he had never felt more nervous in his entire life. Rose and Greg had been with each other quite awhile now and Greg had spent weeks writing this song as a way to propose to her. "R-Rose. Will you marry me?" Greg removed the ring from his pocket and presented it to the love of his life. Rose gasped, "Greg!" she laughed, "You're such a doofus! Of course I will!" The now engaged couple wrapped each other in an emotional hug._

"Dad?" Steven leaned out of the passenger window, "Come on!" Greg smiled and got into the van. Father and son drove to the campsite, only rear-ending one tree on the way out of the woods.

Greg and Steven spent a fun afternoon at a local campsite, swimming, grilling, and accidentally setting Greg's hair on fire. More than once. Now the sun had set and the stars were shining through the clouds. Greg and Steven were sitting around the dying fire. "Hey Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you play for me?"

Greg smiled, "If you really want me too."

Steven yawned and crawled into his sleeping bad, "I do." Greg took his guitar from beside him and plucked a string. The note rang out softly. He began slowly, the notes rang out softly and wove a sleepy web around the campfire. The music compelled their eyelids to close and to simply let go for tonight. The last note shook in air and Steven was asleep. Greg smiled reflectively at his son wrapped up in his sleeping bag. The father stayed up a bit longer, thinking about the way things could have been today. If only Rose had still been with them.  
Eventually he crawled into his own sleeping bag, careful not to wake Steven. Greg sighed softly and got comfortable. Silence.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Steven."

Father and soon drifted off to sleep. Greg didn't have any nightmares tonight.


	2. Garnet

_**A Day In The Life Of...**_

**Garnet:**

The red sun was just rising and clouds dotted the horizon, turning the sky into an artful rose. The ocean washed calmly over the beach, sparkling with light. Beach City was still asleep, but the Crystal Gems were not. At least, Garnet wasn't. The silver door leading to the Crystal Palace split open and Garnet stepped out. She walked silently to the kitchen table and sat down. She sipped a glass of hot chocolate that Pearl always set out for her in the morning. Garnet looked around idly wondering where Pearl was. When they could, they normally spent the small hours of the dawn together in peace, before everyone else woke up and broke the silence.  
The door flew open and Pearl stepped in dripping wet and looking as if she had been dragged across the beach several times over.

"Wake up on the wrong side of bed?" Garnet asked with a straight face. Pearl rolled her eyes and harrumphed. She slammed the door shut behind her.

"Very funny, Garnet." Pearl yanked a tiny crab out of her hair and it scuttled across the floor. She sat down heavily at the table. "But no. Lucy came back this morning and I had to drive her off." Lucy was a battle-scarred sea serpent and an unfortunate fixture to the Gems' life. Lucy had appeared many years ago and always seems to be able to slip away before being defeated. So, every now and again, Lucy drops by and terrorizes beach-goers.

"Amethyst and Steven will be disappointed they missed her," remarked Garnet.

"They'll see her again I'm sure." Pearl picked up her own mug of hot chocolate and drank from it. She leaned back and relaxed. The two Crystal Gems spent a few moments silently sitting at the table. They both looked out the window and admired the sunrise. Pearl sighed, "Well, I'm going to go clean up." She got up to leave, "Breakfast is on the counter." Garnet finished her drink alone in silent contemplation.

Soon enough Amethyst and Steven woke up and made their way to the kitchen. Garnet made Steven a plate of food and set it on the table. Amethyst simply took the pan of eggs from the stove and the plate of pancakes on the counter and ate from them. While Amethyst ate quickly and messily, Steven ate a bit slower. He was still half-asleep.

"Hey Garnet, did you see Lucy drag Pearl down the beachside?" Amethyst giggled and swung around a fork for emphasis. "When Lucy wrapped her tail around Pearl I thought she was going to go have a heart attack!"

Garnet repressed a smile at the mental image of Pearl shrieking in surprise. "A sea serpent was attacking her and you just watched?" she asked disapprovingly. An eyebrow raised, but of course you couldn't see it for her shades.

"Er… I knew she could handle it herself Garnet!" Amethyst flushed. Garnet remained silent.

"Lucy was here? Why didn't you guys get me!" Steven groaned.

"Lucy isn't a pet Steven, she's _dangerous_." Garnet reminded him softly.

"I knooow, but still." Steven played with the last of his eggs and finished his food, muttering something about 'being able to handle Lucy.' "Hey Garnet, since I didn't get to see Lucy… can we go to the zoo later?" Steven looked hopefully at Garnet.

"Sure Steven." Garnet smiled. Pearl walked into the room wearing a towel and feeling much better.

"Umm, guys? Lucy is back." Amethyst spotted her rising from the sea from the window. Pearl's face dropped and she went back into the temple to get dressed with a sigh.

"I wanna see!" Steven ran to the window and saw Lucy writhing in the ocean, making the water froth and boil. "Awesome!" Garnet and Amethyst moved to the balcony to watch. Pearl rushed back into the room and joined them.

"I think you made her mad Pearl." Amethyst remarked. Pearl crossed her arms indignantly.

"I'm not exactly happy either." Pearl knew Amethyst had watched her get assaulted by the sea serpent and was, like she had said, not very happy. A ground-shaking roar interrupted them as Lucy swam close to the shore.

"Let's move, Gems." Garnet commanded. Pearl and Amethyst leapt from the balcony. Garnet placed a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Stay inside, Steven." She said firmly. Garnet leapt off the balcony and landed beside the other Gems.

"Do we still get to go to the zoo?" Steven called after her. No answer. "Aww."

Lucy clicked menacingly and loomed over the gems. A huge shadow cast itself over the brave Gems and for a moment they all stared hardly at the serpent. Lucy's scales glittered blue and water poured off of her. Her black eyes dilated and fixed on the Gems. "Come on girls," Garnet said as she raised her hands above her head. There was a flash of light and the Gems each summoned their weapon. Startled, Lucy whipped back and let out a screech. With a crack, Amethyst's whip wrapped around the serpent's blue neck and she pulled it down towards the shore. Garnet jumped up and clung to the serpent's body. Lucy began shaking her about. Pearl launched her spear at the monster like a javelin but wily Lucy knew what was coming and sank underneath the waves with a struggling Garnet. Below the water Garnet had climbed to the back of Lucy's neck and was pummeling her mercilessly. Lucy ignored Garnet whose hits weren't as effective underwater. Garnet climbed further up to her skull and tugged hard on her snout, prompting her up. Lucy breached the surface with a tremendous wail. Waiting for her were Pearl and Amethyst, miraculously standing atop the water. Pearl stabbed at Lucy's vulnerable belly as Lucy rose upwards and Amethyst flayed Lucy's thick hide with her crystal tipped whip. Garnet kept a tight grip on the monster and brought a gauntlet down again and again on her skull.  
Lucy roared in rage and flung Garnet off. The woman flew through the air and on to shore. Lucy brought her massive jaws down on Pearl who pirouetted to the side and brought down her spear across Lucy's snout. Lucy snarled and swung her massive head into Amethyst who skidded across the water and landed beside a recovering Garnet with a hollow thud. Blood tainted the salty water now and the beast was enraged. Lucy's tail reached out of the water and wrapped around Pearl's waist. There was a sickening crack and the pale Gem was flicked to shore with her sisters-in-arms. Garnet was at her feet and was just as livid as Lucy. Lucy hissed and disappeared beneath the waves, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

"Pearl!" Amethyst cried, staggering to her feet, "Are you alright?" Pearl lay in a heap on the beach. She groaned.

"I-I think something broke." Pearl tried to move her hand and winced. That was broken. She tried her other hand and pressed down gently on her waist. She grimaced. That was shattered too. "Yeah, definitely not okay." Garnet's gauntlets dematerialized and she knelt beside Pearl. Ever so carefully she picked Pearl up. Pain shot through her body. Garnet carried her up the stairs and into the house.

"Pearl!" Steven ran over to worry over Pearl. Garnet moved around Steven and placed her gently on his bed that was just upstairs. "Is Pearl going to be alright?" Steven asked Amethyst.

"Yeah, she just needs to be left alone and to rest."

Upstairs, Garnet fretted over Pearl, but not for long. "She's not getting away this time." she muttered darkly to Pearl.

"Be careful Garnet!" Pearl whispered tightly, still in pain.

"Garnet? Where are you going? Garnet, you can't go after her alone!" Amethyst looked worried.

Garnet left the house again without another word. She was on the hunt and her prey hadn't a chance.

Hours later, Amethyst was trying to distract Steven by playing video games with him. Pearl was still in bed. The door opened and in stepped Garnet.

"Garnet!" Amethyst shouted and then cringed. She whispered again, careful not to wake Pearl, "Garnet! Are you alright? What happened to Lucy?"

Steven ran up to Garnet and hugged her, "Are you okay?"

Garnet picked Steven up and set him on her shoulder affectionately, "I'm fine. Lucy is not. Was not." Her words hung in the air and Amethyst looked at her with awe.

"You…? You killed her? After all those years we couldn't, you just wiped the floor with her?" Amethyst said with mouth agape. Pearl hobbled downstairs, leaning on her spear. Her gem was glowing and was healing her at an accelerated pace. She looked exhausted. Garnet simply shrugged.

"Still wanna go to the zoo, Steven?" Garnet asked.

"Yeah!" Garnet waved goodbye to the others again and sternly told Pearl to get back to bed. She stepped out with a smile.

Pearl smiled admiringly, "I don't know how she does it."


	3. Pearl

**_A Day in the Life of…_**

**Pearl:**

Ah, what a day. The sun is high on the horizon, the birds are singing, not a cloud in the sky, and also there is a ham-sized, red urchin with a gem aggressively launching itself around a car wash. A triad of women with gems embedded on their bodies rushed onto the scene and began futilely chasing it. Welcome to Beach City.  
A crowd of two hovered around the car wash nervously. Greg Universe and Mayor Bill Dewy bonded as they both sweated nervously whenever the urchin came close to rushing straight into one of their vans.

"Don't let it touch you!" Garnet yelled as she narrowly avoided an attack from the bouncing urchin. The urchin bounced off the wall and whistled towards Amethyst who dropped to the ground, barely dodging the urchin. The urchin kept going and knocked the head off the Mayor's van which rolled off and smashed into Greg's windshield. The car alarms began wailing.

"My van!" they both shouted. The urchin stopped in mid-air. It hovered uncertainly before targeting Pearl and going straight for her. Pearl easily twirled around the attack and tried to smash the urchin as it passed but it was going too quickly. The urchin stopped again and launched itself back towards Pearl who pirouetted out of the way. She tried again to hit it, but the urchin curved about her spear and went straight for her head. With a gasp she bent backwards and the red urchin hissed as it passed overhead. Amethyst's whip snapped out and entangled itself in the urchin's spines.

"Hah!" cried Amethyst triumphantly. The urchin simply kept going and began dragging Amethyst along with it. "Wait, no! Ah!" Pearl spun around and smashed the blunt side of her spear into the urchin. It flew lose and straight into Garnet's gauntleted hands. She crushed it with a loud crack and it disappeared.

"Good job, Gems." Garnet said. The car alarms kept screeching. Mayor Dewy turned to Greg, red in the face.

"You're paying for this!" he yelled, furiously gesturing towards the head that was firmly stuck in Greg's windshield.

"What? I didn't do that!" Greg stuttered, not eager to get on the Mayor's bad side, but also not eager to pay for damages.

"Well it happened at _your _car wash!"

"It's alright Mayor Dewey." Pearl walked over to the bystanders with a surprisingly large sum of cash. She counted it out and split it between Greg and the Mayor. "That should cover it." She joined the other Gems and they left for home.

The Gems stood at the door to their house. Pearl stopped suddenly, "Did you feel that?" she whispered excitedly.

"All I feel is the freezing wind out here, c'mon Pearl its cold out here!" Amethyst complained. She brushed past Pearl and went inside. The rest followed. Pearl's gem glowed dimly.

"I think another shard is calling out!" Pearl rushed into the adjoining room and into her own room in the Crystal Temple.

"Ugh, not another one of _those!_" Amethyst groaned. Garnet rubbed the back of her head hesitantly; she wasn't exactly as excited about it as Pearl.

The crystal shards had become something of a hobby for Pearl. They are the shards of an ancient artifact that, Pearl thought, formed the key to a mysterious locked chamber in the Crystal Temple. No one knew what was behind this door, and quite frankly no one other than Pearl and Steven really cared. Occasionally one of the shards would "call out" and the Gems would hear it. Other creatures with gems felt it as well and would home in on the signal just like Pearl.

In Pearl's room, Pearl was just selecting a sword from her collection for the occasion. She lovingly took one from its place and strapped it to her side. Her swords disappeared back under the waterfall gracefully and so did she. She rose from the water closest to the door and walked out with her eyes shining with excitement and determination. "Ready to go?"

"You can go without me, Pearl. I'm tired of fighting things for some stupid shard!" Amethyst was dozing on the couch.

"They're not stupid! They could unlock secrets beyond your imagining!" Pearl retorted indignantly. "Garnet?"

Garnet was sitting at the kitchen table. She gave a start and hesitated. "I… As much as I would love to I promised I'd take Steven out today. Sorry, Pearl." It was technically true. Amethyst could have done it, but Garnet didn't want to go either.

"Fine, I can get the last shard myself!" Pearl walked pointedly to the warp pad. She stood with her nose indignantly pointed up as the pad activated and transported her to the general location of the shard.

Another warp pad, millions of miles away, activated and Pearl appeared atop of it. She turned her head every which way like a bird to observe her surroundings "It's so beautiful!" Rocks were floating aimlessly in a field of blue space, interspersed with burnt orange stars. The warp pad she was on resided on a floating rock below a series of other rocks which seemed to form a pathway to a looming tower. Everything was silent. Pearl gracefully leapt from one rock to another, making her way up the huge door of the tower. Each rock dipped underneath her weight and floated away when she jumped from it. She reached the door and looked back, frowning. "I can _probably_ make that jump." She said to herself, examining the distance between the door and the warp pad. She nodded and went inside. It was strangely well lit for a floating tower in the middle of space. There were no torches or light fixtures anywhere. The walls were decorated with complex murals of creatures advancing on the tower. Pearl rubbed her hand across the fading art. "Look at that!" She whispered admiringly. Her hand trailed along the wall as she walked forward, examining the story within the art. It told the story of the crystal shard deep inside this tower. A terrible man had once used it to call dark and twisted creatures to his aid in a war against this very tower. The siege was successful but the creatures turned on him immediately and devoured him. The wall was actually pretty graphic in its description, and Pearl drew he hand back in mild disgust, "Eugh…" Pearl stopped and found that the wall had led her into a large circular room where many more stories of similar nature were told. Pearl looked around in wonder and worry. This crystal shard was different than the others she had found somehow. She feared that if she could feel it then so could these creatures, and that they could arrive at any moment. Pearl put a wary hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword and moved deeper in the room. In the center of the room stood a golden throne and on it lay a skeleton. Pearl brushed the skeleton aside and found that there was a crevice in the top part of it. "It looks like the other shards I've collected," Pearl observed. "Whoever this is must've kept it there." She poked her finger in it and drew it back quickly. She looked worried. "That's some really nasty energy there." She muttered uncertainly. Suddenly she wasn't so sure about this venture.  
There was a loud hiss behind her and a centipeedle as large as Pearl herself lunged at her from the side. She rolled with the attack and tossed the monster off of her. She drew her sword with a hiss of metal on leather and cut the writhing creature in half. Pearl quickly turned in all directions with her sword up and kept a sharp eye out for any others. She lowered her sword, but stayed alert. Pearl had lost the luxury of examining the archaeological treasures around the tower, she needed to get the shard and get out quickly before she ended up like the skeleton on the throne. Pearl strode out of the room through an arched doorway at a fast pace. Another centipeedle feel from the arch. In one fluid motion Pearl impaled the monster and flung it off her sword. She began running along the hall she had entered. The hall split into three paths and Pearl took the farthest left without hesitation. She could feel the energy getting stronger as she ran through the twisting halls. Pearl could feel the slight incline of the floor. She was going up to the very top of the tower, and hopefully where the last shard was located. Pearl ran through the tower unimpeded until she heard the sickening sounds of hundreds of centipeedles. They were all laying in a mess on the floor, hundreds of them. Pearl almost gasped, but silenced herself. They were sleeping. Without stopping she began running silently across the wall, over the sleeping heads of the giant insects. She passed them without incident. After she did, it began to get noticeably darker with every step Pearl took until she couldn't see anymore. Pearl's gem began to glow and it revealed a dead end, and a very frustrated Pearl with it. "This can't be the wrong way!" she whispered to herself. She doubled back a ways to make sure she hadn't missed a branch off. She hadn't. Pearl came back to the dead end. Pearl poked and prodded at the area around the wall and the wall itself to make sure they were all real, not illusions. There were no secret doorways or levers or buttons. It was simply a dead end. "No, no, no, no!" Pearl whispered tautly, "This _has_ to be the right way." Suddenly a screech echoed out of the darkness behind her. Pearl turned and peered into the dimly lit hall, eyes wide with fear. She looked everywhere again with growing panic. The clicking of hundreds of pincers reverberated all around her. Pearl looked up with fear and found hope. The ceiling ended where she was and there was a wide gap between the wall and the roof. The path went directly up! With a graceful leap she jumped onto the wall that obstructed her way and back flipped onto the top of the roof a few feet away. Landing softly on her feet, Pearl backed away from the edge as the centipeedles arrived below her. Pearl ran swiftly down the dark path. Light began to fill the path again and it opened up onto the roof of the tower. Stars twinkled silently in space and in the center of the roof lay a pedestal. On the simple stone pedestal was the last shard, glowing red. Pearl approached it carefully, "The others weren't red." She said worriedly. Pearl reached out to it tentatively and grabbed it. It was cool to the touch and gave off a sinister tranquility. It began to shake and click in Pearl's grasp. Wait, no. That was the tower shaking and the horde of centipeedles pouring out onto the roof that was doing that. Pearl gasped and ran to the edge of the tower. She looked down and was overcome with a sense of vertigo. Far, far, _far _below her waited the warp pad, her way out. "No, no, no…." The centipeedles began launching themselves at her. Pearl gracefully twirled and ducked, managing to dodge most of the flying insects. They tumbled off the tower to their deaths. Pearl summoned her weapon and began batting away the monstrosities that were attacking her with both sword and spear. Pearl deftly handled the first wave, but soon the sheer numbers of her aggressors would overwhelm her and she knew it. She had to find a way off this tower and do it _now_. Pearl looked over her shoulder and out below the tower. She glanced at the way she had come; centipeedles were still pouring from the entrance. Pearl tossed the shard off the roof and after a brief moment she herself jumped off the tower elegantly.

A silvery-blue moth gently fluttered to the bottom and over the warp pad. Pearl shape shifted back into her original form and the shard clinked as it hit the warp pad beside her. She put her hand over her chest to slow her heart. "I hate heights." she panted, right before she was transported back home.

"Hey Pearl, get your shard?" Amethyst asked. She was lying on the back of the couch watching TV; not actually concerned about the shard.

"Are you okay Pearl? You look like you had a heart attack." Garnet asked, concerned and feeling a bit guilty about letting Pearl go out on a possibly dangerous mission alone.

"I'm fine." Pearl said after gathering herself. "And yes," she smiled triumphantly, "I did get my shard." Pearl walked to the door to the Crystal Temple and it slid open. Pearl retrieved the other shards from her room and disappeared under the water. She rose majestically from a still pool of water in a dark, stone room. Moss grew from between the stones and everything was perfectly still and silent. Across from Pearl stood a huge stone door, engraved with ancient symbols and carefully set strips of gold; also a tiny cat in the bottom left corner from when Amethyst had visited. A single torch lit the room. Pearl approached the door cradling the shards in her arms. She threw them upwards and contained them in a white ball of magic. In a flash they clinked together and assembled themselves into their original form. An octagonal gem with the red diamond-shaped shard in the center fell into Pearl's hands. A shadow flitted across its surface and Pearl looked around for the cause. Nothing. She carefully set the gem into an octagonal indention on the surface of the stone door. The door hummed and the gem began straining against its place in the wall. It turned once with a loud crack and stone dust showered the floor. It turned again. Crack! The door stopped its ominous humming. The whole gem turned red now and sank into the door seamlessly. The door split in half and one side popped in slightly. With excitement, Pearl pushed on the doors in and they swung open. She couldn't see anything, just blackness. Red eyes blinked open and a low, menacing growl emanated from inside.

**"Twenty thousand years,"** snarled a voice, **"twenty thousand years I've been trapped!"** the room shook. Another row of eyes right below the red ones blinked open. A gust of warm, moist air hit Pearl. "**And now-" **

Pearl, eyes wide with shock and fear, slammed the door abruptly. The door sealed itself again and the crack disappeared. The door shook with the rage of whatever was in there and stopped. The key split into tiny shards again and trembled in the door. They fell onto the floor anti-climatically. Pearl stared at the door in utter confusion.

"Well." She murmured uncertainly. She looked around for a moment, at a loss, until finally she dropped into the puddle of water and left.

Pearl joined Garnet on the balcony outside.

"So, what was behind that door, Pearl?" Garnet asked politely.

"Oh, some ancient evil," Pearl sighed, frustrated.

"Oh."


	4. Amethyst

_**A Day in the Life of…**_

**Amethyst:**

Inside the donut shop, the Crystal Gems were having a little break from protecting the world. Amethyst, Garnet, Pearl, and Steven were all sitting around a table outside of the shop. Amethyst was laughing wildly at Pearl's new golden necklace. "C'mon!" she laughed around a mouthful of donut, "Just say it!"

"I'm not saying it," Pearl smiled.

"Pleease, Pearl?" Steven tried his best to look adorable.

"Come on, Pearl!" Garnet urged quietly.

"Oh fine!" Pearl looked as serious as she could, and with utter solemnity proclaimed "I pity the fool!" All the Gems laughed at her surprisingly good impression of Mr. T.

"No, wait!" Amethyst smiled mischievously, "I can make it better!" She took off her earring put it on Pearl's right ear. Amethyst back up and observed Pearl, pursing her lips in thought like an artist observing her masterpiece. She took a black marker from her pocket, removed the top with a pop, and drew comically large sideburns on Pearl's face. "Perfection!" The Crystal Gems burst into refreshed laughter, even Garnet smiled at Amethyst's handiwork.  
After a few more silly imitations of Mr. T, Pearl removed the earring with a smile and gave it back to Amethyst who was still smiling impishly. She began rubbing her cheeks in an attempt to wipe away the marker. Pearl looked at her hands, "It's not coming off!"

"That's because it permanent!" Amethyst let her head drop and smacked the table as she shook with laughter.

"So I'm going to have sideburns all day!?" Pearl gasped in horror.

"Probably tomorrow too!" Amethyst choked with laughter. Steven covered his mouth in an attempt to smother the laughter, but just couldn't hold it in. Garnet looked away, laughing softly. Pearl looked at them all, aghast, with an expression of horror and disbelief.

"No!"

After Pearl promptly lost her composure at the Big Donut, the rest of the morning went by fairly uneventfully for Amethyst. Garnet went on a walk; Pearl was staying in her room- desperately trying to wash away the permanent marker; Steven was… somewhere- Amethyst didn't actually know where he was; and Amethyst was BORED! And… she felt like maybe she was forgetting something. Amethyst frowned and stared absently at the tv as she tried to remember. "Hmm…." Amethyst's eyes widened and she gave a start, "Steven!" She jumped off the couch and burst through the door. Amethyst ran down the beach for awhile until she saw Steven sitting criss-cross under the cliff on the beachside. "Steven!"

"Hey Amethyst," he said, unusually subdued and calm. "Ready to begin our lessons?"

"I'm sorry I was late, Steven," Amethyst began, looking at Steven oddly, "but I guess you don't mind?"

Steven broke his composure, "You were LATE?!" Steven stood up abruptly, "I thought you just weren't coming to test my patience!"

Amethyst snorted with laughter, "Okay, yeah, sure, we can go with that!"

Steven glared at Amethyst, but quickly got over it. "So are we still working on shape shifting Amethyst?"

"I dunno Steven, can you shape shift yet?"

"No…."

"Great we can do that then." Amethyst sighed with relief. She had forgotten about this completely and didn't have any idea what else to teach him. "Hopefully we won't have another cat finger accident!" Amethyst laughed, "They were kinda cute though."

"What? They almost killed me, they're not cute!" Amethyst turned her cat into a finger and it mewled loudly into Steven's ear. Steven yelped and jumped away. Amethyst laughed.

"That's not funny Amethyst!" Steven said grumpily.

"_I _laughed!" Amethyst giggled again. "C'mon!" Amethyst turned into a pony and tossed Steven onto her. They galloped off the beach and into Beach City. She galloped straight at Big Donut and Steven screamed,

"Amethyst!"

She made an impossible leap to the roof of Big Donut with Steven on her back. "Relax, Steven!" she laughed as she changed back to her original form. "I'm not gonna hurt you or anything!" Amethyst drew Steven close to the edge of the roof.

"Why are we on top of the Big Donut, Amethyst?"  
"Well, here's the idea. My powers are always there when I need them, so I'm going to push you off the roof so you'll _need _to shape shift into, like, a bird or something to save yourself."

"Wait, what?"

Amethyst pushed Steven off the roof of the Big Donut. Steven screamed and Sadie peeked outside to see what was happening. She spied Steven falling to his death. "Come on Steven, turn into a bird!" Amethyst yelled. Sadie crept back into her shop looking worried, but knowing better than to get mixed up in magic business. "Just do it Steven!" Amethyst yelled, getting worried. But there was no need, a pink robin was fluttering back up to the roof of the Big Donut.

"I did it!" tweeted Steven, "I'm a bird Amethyst!"

"Great job Steven!" Amethyst cheered, "Now try to turn back!" Steven settled down beside Amethyst and visibly shuttered. Steven turned in a little circle in agitation.

"I can't!"

"Just imagine being human Steven, and just shake it out." Amethyst suggested, wiggling her arms for emphasis. Steven flapped his wings and shook about

"Human!" Steven focused aloud, "Human!" Nothing happened. "Amethyst!" Steven was panicking.

"Calm down, Steven!" Amethyst was also panicking, "Just… Just keep trying!"

"AMETHYST IT'S NOT WORKING- HELP ME." Bird-Steven now had his wings over his eyes in a human matter and was chirping in hysteria.

"CALM DOWN STEVEN WE CAN FIX THIS." Amethyst grabbed Steven and cupped him in her hands. She sat down and stroked Steven lightly, "We just need to keep trying. Keep trying Steven!" Steven breathed in and out deeply. A few moments passed. Steven still wasn't human again.

"AMETHYST I'M STILL NOT HUMAN," Steven was panicking again.

"IT'S ALRIGHT STEVEN, I KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS." Amethyst had to yell to be heard of Steven's frantic tweets. Steven slowed down for a moment to hear Amethyst out. "Look, you were doing a bird thing and you turned into a bird, so maybe if you do a human thiiiinng…"

"I'll turn back into a human!" finished Steven hopefully.

"C'mon!"

Amethyst was sitting down on the kitchen table back at home with Steven perched on top of a stack of papers. Steven looked about as nervous as a bird could be. "Okay Steven, just do the taxes." Amethyst whispered. She knew this definitely wasn't going to work, but she needed to keep Steven busy until she could actually find a way to shift him back into human.

"I-I'm not sure I can do taxes, Amethyst."

"I believe in you Steven. You can do this. All humans can!" Amethyst cheered Steven on enthusiastically, but kept a wary eye on the doors. She didn't want Garnet or Pearl walking in and finding Steven stuck as a bird. A few minutes passed as Steven struggled with grasping a pencil. Amethyst smiled as she watched Steven get in an awkward laying position and trying to write numbers sideways onto the files.  
Ten minutes later Amethyst had no new ideas and Steven was beginning to doubt the validity of working with taxes to turn human.

"Amethyst, I don't think this is working!"

"What?" Amethyst exclaimed incredulously, "Of _course _it's working Steven! Can't you feel it?"

"No…." Steven chirped uncertainly.

"Didn't think so, this isn't going to work Steven." Amethyst admitted suddenly.

"What?"

"Yeah, I lied. I can't turn you back."

"What!?"

"Garnet and Pearl are gonna be soooo mad!"

"WHAT?!" Steven screeched and began flapping his wings about, violently knocking over all the papers. He was in quite the state, but Amethyst looked pleased with herself. "I bet they might even take away your last few Cookie Cats!" Steven flew into the air and ricocheted around the house in an utter panic. "Hey, I think that's Garnet coming up the stairs!"  
That was the final straw, Steven flew right into the couch in his panic. There was an audible pop and a flash and Steven was human again.

"Wha…?" Steven was upside down. He flipped over and sat up. "I'm human again!" he exclaimed, happily patting himself everywhere.

"Yup!" Amethyst smiled mischievously. "I made you panic until you didn't have enough energy to hold the form!"

Just then the door opened with a creak. Amethyst and Steven jumped guiltily. In walked Garnet. She looked around, "The house is a mess." She commented in her normal British monotone, "How did your training go, Steven?" Amethyst and Steven exchanged a look.

"Just fine, Garnet!"


End file.
